Book bans are becoming more prevalent as leaders set their sights on education and what we should and shouldnât be teaching our children. Books that discuss more complex topics like race and LGBTQ+ are becoming more and more banned in the United States. These books arenât discussing things that are harmful, but are typically retellings or historically influenced books that handle hard moments. To Kill a Mockingbird, for instance, is one of the most known challenged books that follows the wrongful conviction of a black man by a white girl. It shows the harsh reality of what African Americans have been and are subjected to in America. Reading any book can teach you a life lesson, whether it is fiction or nonfiction, books often reflect our history and aim to teach us something.Â
This reflection is why book bans matter. When we limit the content surrounding a certain topic, we limit the learning opportunities surrounding it. Books that handle the difficult history of racism or the disgusting treatment of gay individuals allow students to learn of the history in a more real life scenario, with readers learning empathy from the situations and a better understanding of different cultures. Reading is learning; limiting reading is limiting our education and through that, our innovation. If we never learn from our mistakes, we will be doomed to repeat them, stuck in a constant cycle. Banning books is the greatest step a country can take towards censorship, while challenging a book is still a step in that direction.Â
The United States has always taken steps towards book bans, with books like Uncle Tomâs cabin being banned because of the anti-slavery content. Slavery doesnât show up in any way in childrenâs books or books that our youth were consuming. The children are limited in their knowledge of the war and what actually happened, even though it directly impacted their lives. Ignorance of history is multiplied, with those who werenât correctly taught, teaching the future generations. I personally have had arguments with people my age about life during slavery and how the North and South were affected. One guy argued that the Northern states never owned slaves and he even went on to claim that he would own slaves today, citing his need for labor on his farm as his reason. While his own ignorance is his own fault, we can also blame the educational system for its failures.Â
Public education is funded by the taxpayers via the state and local property taxes. This leads to our representation, the politicians, having a say in how our public eduction is run. Many teachers claim that they donât think their curriculum handles slavery appropriately and doesnât handle the impacts slavery continues to have. Only 8% of highschool students are able to cite slavery as a reason for the Civil War. When we are banning books that discuss hard conversations that handle them in a more personal or detailed way than our textbooks, we are dooming our nation. Our high schools are unable to correctly handle the discussion of slavery and the relationship between African Americans and our nation, because of the banning of content. Content in our public schools is one of the biggest attacks by our politicians. Some parents are becoming more and more rowdy when it comes to the education their children receive, with some claiming schools are indoctrinating their children with âliberalâ ideas.Â
So why should you care? We are currently raising one of the most censored generations of the United States, with the history of minorities being cast aside for the more nice and friendly telling. We are doomed to enter into problems that we have already faced and solved, with our ignorance and complacency leading us down that path. Book bans are one of the biggest steps a country can take towards censorship. Our country is built upon freedom of speech, yet we constantly are attacking that freedom. Do you want to repeat our history or do you want to learn and grow?